Experts concerned over preservation of films in India

PANAJI: India may brag about being the highest film producing nation but it has a poor record when it comes to film preservation.

"India is the largest producer of cinema. But when it comes to the question of preserving we have to shamefully admit that percentage of survival of cinema is very low," Pune-based National Film Archives of India (NFAI) Director K S Sasidharan told reporters during the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2007 here.

NFAI has teamed up with the Thomson Foundation for Film and TV heritage to produce a special section - IFFI Goa Film Treasures.

Sasidharan said hardly 20-25 per cent of films produced in India are preserved.

Sasidharan, who heads India's only agency for film restoration, said it was necessary to sensitise film industry and producers who are unaware that their products are susceptible to wither. "For most filmmakers, cinema is entertainment and glamour not an art form," he alleged.